Tesla Semi wins 2,500-truck order, doubling US electric Class 8 fleet

Tesla has been named the primary truck supplier for the largest electric Class 8 order in US history: 2,500 battery-electric trucks bought through a new shipper alliance called ZET SCALE. The order on its own would nearly double the number of electric Class 8 trucks on US roads, and the alliance says it’s targeting more than 10,000 over time. ZET SCALE, short for Zero-Emission Truck Shipper-Carrier Alliance Leading Electrification, was launched by Catalyst Mobility (the freight nonprofit formerly known as CALSTART) and the Smart Freight Centre. The pitch is simple: pool the freight demand of big shippers so carriers can buy electric trucks in bulk and make manufacturers compete on price. Founding shippers include Microsoft and PepsiCo. Tesla won the primary OEM slot through a competitive RFP, with Kenworth, Volvo, and RIDE named as secondary suppliers. That last detail isn’t clear. Tesla’s own account framed it as “2,500 Semis on order,” but the alliance’s number covers 2,500 Class 8 trucks with Tesla as the lead supplier and three other truckmakers in the mix. It sounds like Tesla is primary, not exclusive, so the full 2,500 won’t all be Semis. These orders will be deployed across 10 freight hubs over the next few years: Los Angeles, Stockton, Bakersfield, Seattle/Tacoma, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Chicago, Atlanta, and the Newark/New York area. The money is the interesting part. A financing arm called ZET Financial issues the purchase orders and runs a “ZET Lease” program built to take residual-value risk off fleets’ books, which is exactly the thing that keeps operators from betting on a truck this new. “ZET SCALE’s goals are exciting because they amplify [operational advantages] at scale,” said Dan Priestley, Tesla’s Semi program director. Catalyst Mobility CEO Michael Berube put the problem more bluntly: “You can have good technology and still not have a market.” This might be the bridge that the US truck market needs for electrification It dwarfs Tesla’s last “biggest” order A month ago, Einride’s 500-truck deal was the largest Tesla Semi order yet. ZET SCALE is five times that. The timing is pointed. It lands the same week Tesla inaugurates its new Nevada Semi factory, a plant with a nameplate capacity of 50,000 trucks a year. But analysts expect Tesla to deliver only 5,000 to 15,000 Semis in 2026, and each Long Range truck is quoted around $290,000. So demand isn’t the constraint — production is. A separate 50-truck order shows the ground game The same day, IMC Logistics, one of North America’s largest drayage operators, said it’s adding 50 Tesla Semis to its California fleet. The order splits between Standard Range trucks (325 miles) for port drayage and Long Range trucks (500 miles) for runs between Southern California and inland warehouses. IMC already operates 56 zero-emission vehicles, so 50 more Semis roughly doubles its ZEV count. But IMC isn’t going all-in on Tesla. It runs hydrogen fuel-cell and renewable-diesel trucks alongside the battery-electric ones. “We are focused on making sustainability attainable in day-to-day drayage operations,” said Jim Gillis, Pacific Region President at IMC Logistics. “That means taking a blended approach rather than relying on a single technology.” Short-haul container work near ports is where the Semi fits best, which is why drayage keeps showing up in Tesla’s order book. Predictable routes, return-to-base charging, heavy loads. If you’re running an EV, or a whole fleet of them, the cheapest electricity you can buy is the kind you make on your own roof. With electricity rates up almost 10% last year and expected to keep climbing, going solar is one of the best ways to protect yourself against rising costs. And with lease and PPA options, you can do it with zero upfront cost and start saving immediately. If you want to find the best deal, check out EnergySage. It’s a free service with hundreds of pre-vetted installers competing for your business, so you save 20 to 30% compared to going it alone. No sales calls until you pick an installer. Get your free quotes here. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.